Air purifying unit



Feb. 10, 1942. o. HOLM-HANSE-N AIR PURIFYING UNIT Filed Oct. 2, 1 940 Inv en'tor: Osmund Holm-Hansen.

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49 His Attohney Patented Feb. 10, 1942 AIR PURIFYING UNIT Osmond Holm-Hansen, Bridgeport,.Conn., as-

signer to General Electric ration of New York Company, a corpo- Application October 2, 1940, Serial No. 359,389 zciaims. (01. 183-4) This invention relates to air purifying units and more particularly to such units especially adapted for the deodorization of air in substantially closed areas as the food storage compartments of refrigerating cabinets and relatively small rooms.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved air purifying unit which is efficient in operation, low in cost, simple of manufacture, assembly and maintenance. which cupies a relatively small space, and which is portable so that it can be readily moved from one room or space to another.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize my invention-will be pointedout with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partly broken away of a refrigerator cabinet illustrating the use of my invention and Fig. 2is an enlargedsectional view of the air purifying unit shown in Fig. 1.

-My invention is described and illustrated as applied to a deodorizing unit adapted for use in refrigerators. Referring to the drawing, I have shown a refrigerator cabinet l0 provided with a food storage compartment II. It has been found that many foods stored in refrigerator cabinets gradually decompose and give off odors which become objectionable when the concentration is suilicient to render the odors detectable. There- 1 fore, I have provided adeodorizing unit 12 comprising a receptacle or casing l3 rotatably mounted on a motor ll, the casing l3 containing a suitable air purifying substance'or material. The

material must be of a type which will permit the passage, of air therethrough, as activated carbon in granular form, for example. As the casin rotates, air will be drawn in through the inlet opening 21 at the central portion of the casin circulated through the material and expelled around the edges of the casing. During passage through the material, the impurities will be retained on the material-and the air expelled will be. relatively free therefrom.

While I have illustrated and described my invention in connection with a refrigerator, I wishto have it understood that the principles of my invention are equally applicable for use in other spaces in which the purification or deodorization of air is desired. For example, closets and hospipurifying unit of the type disclosed herein.

Describing my invention, in greater detail, I have illustrated a refrigerator cabinet having an outer casing or liner l5 and an inner metal liner or casing I6 with suitable heat insulating material I'I disposed therebetween. The walls of the cabinet define the food storage compartment H and an opening is provided in the front wall of the refrigerator, the opening being closed by a heat insulated door It.

The compartment H is cooled by means of a cooling element or evaporator l9 preferably disposed in the upper portion of the compartment II. A machinery compartment (not shown) for housing the compressor unit is provided in the lower portion of the cabinet, access thereto being had through a removable door 20 at the front of the cabinet. Any suitable refrigerating unit may be provided. I have illustrated a condenser of the flat-plate type suitably secured to the rear wall of the cabinet although any suitable type may be employed. The various components of the refrigerating system will be connected together in a refrigerant circulating system as is well understood in the art. A plurality of shelves 22 is suitable bearing sleeve 25 for engagement with the motor shaft. The upper wall of thecasing is preferably a conically-shaped member 26 having an inlet opening .21 arranged substantially centrally thereof, that is', in the vicinity of the axis of rotation of the casing. The side walls-are provided with an outlet opening. Preferably the side walls are reticulated throughout. For example, a, screen 28, cylindrical in shape and extending peripherally about the casing may be used,

the screen serving to'maintain the members 24 and 26 in spaced apart relation.

The casing is fllledwith any suitable air purifying material of a type having a plurality of passages of substantial size extending therethrough-for the circulation of air in contact therewith. The purifying or deodorizing mate'- rial may be in the form of a plurality ofpa'rticles 31 ofsubstantial size to provide spaces or passages for the aforementioned passage of air through the mass ofmaterial. I have obtained .satisfactory results by using particles of activated In the illustrated form of my invention, the

motor l4 rests on a base 3|, as a ring of resilient material such as rubber, for example, in order to minimize the transmission of vibrations and sound to the cabinet walls.

In order to provide an electrical circuit for the operation of .the motor I4, I have provided a suitably arranged receptacle 32 in the wall of the cabinet for the reception of the plug 33. This arrangement permits the unit to be removed from the refrigerator when desired.

When the above described construction is employed and when the plug is inserted into the receptacle 32 so that the motor I3 is imparting rotation to the casing l3, impure air, as odor-filled air, will be drawn into the opening 21 of the receptacle, passed through the spaces between the particles of material and in contact therewith and expelled through the outlet opening or screen 28 by reason of centrifugal action caused by such rotation. The particles of material or the material defining the openings or passages through the deodorizing bed act as the principal air propellant means or miniature fan blades, thereby adding to the centrifugal effect and hence the rate at which air is circulated through the material and in contact with the purifying material. The screens or ,openings 28 and 29 are preferably equal in area in order that the air velocity through the unit will remain substantially constant throughout. The continuous circulation through the casing insures a continual removal of impurities from the cabinet air. One effect is the minimization of the transfer of odors from articles stored within the compartment II to the compartment air and to the otherstored articles. It is not necessary that all of the circulating air pass through the material because odors in small concentrations, for example, are not necessarily objectionable, and substantial benefits are derived even though all of the odors present in the air are not removed.

Provision has been made for the replacement of the material. For example, the receptacle l3 may be made removable from the shaft 23 whereby the receptacle l3 may be replaced-whenever necessary. In order to permit the removal and replacement of the receptacle i3, the shaft 23 is provided with an enlarged portion 34 to provide a shoulder 35. In the assembled position of the unit, thecasing rests upon the shoulder 35 thereby definitely positioning the receptacle l3. In order to retain the receptacle on the shaft 23, the upper end may be'threaded in order to receive a nut 36. Thus in order to replace the tacle l3.with a removable portion through which fresh material, as in cartridge form, may be inserted. The inlet and outlet openings may be arranged in any positions which will produce the desired centrifugal pumping action.

The purifying unit l2 may be placed in any desired position. When used in a refrigerator cabinet the most desirable place is adjacent the bottom thereof. Circulation established by the evaporator i9 is downwardly in the center portions of the cabinet and upwardly along the sides. By placing the unit as shown in the drawing, the centrifugal action thereof amplifies the natural convection flow. The important consideration is to make certain that the unit is placed in such a position that substantial quantities of the circulating air will have access to the absorbent material.

My invention is applicable to closed cabinets and the like which are not equipped with electrical outlets by running a suitable cable through the door opening to a convenient outlet.

While I have illustrated the use of my invention in connection with refrigerators, it will be understood that the unit l2 may be placed in any desired location. The arrangement illustrated in the drawing is such that the unit I2 may be removed from the compartment H of the cabinet and moved to some other room as a closet, for example.

If desired, a guard may be provided for the unit so that articles stored therein will not be accidentally moved into such a position that oper-' ation thereof is hindered. Such a guard may also be provided to protect the user from possible injury from contact with the rotating receptacle l3.

The electric circuit for operation of the unit is subject to considerable modification. For example, one skilled in the art will understand that it is entirely feasible to arrange the power supply so that the rotation of the unit is halted when the door is opened.

Moreover, it will be understood that continuous operation of the unit is not necessary. Thus the user of the refrigerator may employ the unit for a day or two and then disconnect the motor from thesource of power supply for a few days during which time perceptible odors will not develop.

If it is desired that the unit occupy the smallest possible storage space and in situations where portability is not important, I may arrange the rotation producing means outside the compartment Ii, aslby extending the shaft of a motor through-the bottom wall of the cabinet so that only the receptacle i3 and a supporting shaft therefor are contained within the compartment ll.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and receptacle l3, it is simply necessary to remove the nut 36, remove the receptacle i3, place a new receptacle or casing on the shaft, and replace the nut 36. a

Many modifications will occur to. those skilled in the art. For instance, instead of providing for the replacement of the entire receptacle I3 and material contained therein, I may provide an arrangement in which merely the odor absorbent material may be replaced as by omitting the screen 29, thereby rendering easy the replacement of the material, or by providing the recepscope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an air deodorizing unit comprising a casing and means for causing rotation thereof, said casing being provided with an inlet opening and an outlet opening, means for causing air to be drawn into said casing through said inlet and expelled through said outlet, said means consisting of a body of an air deodorizing material of the type having a plurality of passages of substantial size extending thereth'pugh for the circulation of air, said passages being of such a size that the material defining said passages serves as I the principal air propellant means.

ing air to be drawn into said casing through said 10- inlet and expelled through said outlet, said means consisting of a plurality of particles of an air deodorizing material, said particles being disposed between said inlet and said outlet in such a way that substantialportions of the air circulated through said casing pass in contactwith said particles, said particles being of such size that they serve both as the principal air movin means and'air deodorizing means.

OSMUND HOLM-HANSEN. 

